


Let's Be Friends

by xSteleAliniax



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Mashima Hiro's Fairy Tail Setting, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Humor, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27711857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSteleAliniax/pseuds/xSteleAliniax
Summary: "Lucy, let's be friends." "I'm sorry, but I already have friends."
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	Let's Be Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Good beautiful morning! So for those of you who read my previous one-shot, this is my typical go-to fandom/ship. I have a lot of Nalu content to give you guys so I hope you're willing to give it a shot! Also, this is not my usual writing style. I almost never write in present tense, but for this scene it felt right so I just kind of went with it! I hope you like it!

_Lucy, let's be friends._

_Sorry, but I already have friends._

Natsu sighs at the memory as he sits through yet another math class, staring at the back of golden hair, a constant reminder of the humiliation he went through just the other day. He finally got the courage to ask the girl he likes to be friends with him, just friends, nothing weird, and she turns him down.

_Sorry, but I already have friends._

Natsu scowls, then catches the eye of Sting, a jock who likes to fight with him sometimes, though all in good fun. He arches an eyebrow at Natsu as if to say "what's up with the glare, dude?"

Natsu shrugs and tries to shift his expression into something neutral. He can admit, though only in his own mind, that his feelings had been bruised at her rejection. He knows she's pretty popular and gorgeous and she _shouldn't_ give him the time of day, but he had still hoped.

He's an idiot.

Her soft giggle flutters back to him and he wonders what she's so damn happy about in _math class_. Natsu guesses it's more fun to endure trigonometry when you have girlfriends to chat with than when you're just a lonely loser in the back of the room.

He's the loser.

"... _seen_ him?"

Natsu's ears perk up at the conversation between Lucy and Levy. He leans forward on his desk and pretends to take notes so he can better hear them.

Not that he's an eavesdropper…

"Yeah," Lucy whispers, "he looks like a hobo." They both burst into hushed laughter.

Natsu accidentally breaks his pencil lead.

Were they talking about _him?_ He risks a glance down at his shorts and t-shirt combo. He looks like any other dude in school. Is it the white scarf he always wears? Do hobos wear this kind of scarf?

Nah.

They must be talking about someone else.

"I think his name's Natsu?"

His scowl deepens as he slides down in his chair as if that will protect him from the words coming from the two girls.

"It's Natsu," Lucy agrees confidently.

 _At least she knows your name_ , he thinks bitterly.

He can barely hear her and now he's kind of glad. He's not sure he _wants_ to hear what other rude comments they have to say about him.

"He asked me to be friends with him," Lucy snickers, and Natsu feels his whole body go hot as fire.

Okay, calling him a hobo was one thing, but _mocking_ him? Talking shit about how embarrassing it was for him to ask her to be friends? Not okay. That's just cruel.

He stops listening after that.

Headphones plugged in, he turns up the volume and ignores everything else, not even caring if the teacher gets upset that he's not paying attention. He wasn't paying attention before anyway.

When class is over, Natsu stays in his seat in order to avoid the babbling girls who are probably still making fun at his expense. He runs the risk of the teacher asking him to stay late for not listening but he doesn't care.

Why did he think Lucy would make a good friend for him anyway?

_The golden halo of hair that cascades down her back like a blanket of stars._

_The bright, chocolate eyes full of wonder and excitement and something else too._

_That smile that takes his breath away, even though it's never been for_ his _benefit._

Too bad she'll never give him the time of day.

* * *

His next couple of classes go by in a blur. He keeps his headphones in until they finally run out of juice because Lucy just so happens to be in most of his classes.

Lucky him.

He doesn't need the constant reminder that he's a friendless loser.

Natsu isn't very smart in most classes, so he doesn't see the point in even bothering to listen when he won't understand any of it even if he does. However, woodshop is the exception, therefore he's not too put out by his dead buds. He would have taken them out regardless. Finally, a class he can excel at.

Fortunately for him, Lucy is a chick, and only crazy chicks take woodshop, the ones who threaten to kill you in your sleep and hide dead animals in your locker.

Chicks like Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss.

Sometimes he wonders who likes woodshop more, him or them. Though he's pretty sure Erza and Mira only take woodshop to get their competitive rage out in a legal way. He decides that's fair enough. He's certainly hit a few nails a little harder than necessary on more than one occasion.

"This is going to be the biggest, baddest birdhouse you've ever seen, Red!"

Mira's voice can be heard above the hum of saws and banging of hammers, thanks to the fact that hers and Erza's shared station is right next to Natsu's. Sometimes he's afraid they'll shoot a nail gun right in his direction and bury it in his skull.

It came damn close once.

"Your birdhouse is going to look like a baby made it compared to mine, thunder thighs!" Erza shoots back.

Neither girl is trying to hush their tones and a quick look at Gildarts' amused expression says he doesn't care and isn't going to do a thing about it. Natsu thinks it has more to do with him being too afraid to get in the middle of an Erza and Mira battle.

Wise man.

Natsu returns to his own birdhouse, shaking his head at the quarreling girls beside him and praying to Mavis that they don't turn on a saw.

About two measured boards into his house, a soft voice interrupts his thoughts. He jumps in surprise at the unannounced sound, both because he hadn't been expecting it and because he'd memorized the lilting tones his first week here.

_Lucy._

He turns toward the blonde who's leaning over his desk, cleavage exposed, and tries to keep his eyes on her face. It's not hard because she's beautiful and her eyes gleam with amusement, which makes her whole face light up.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," she teases and it's music to his ears.

He hates himself for thinking that.

"Uh, you didn't," he lies. "What do you want?" He doesn't mean for it to come out the way it does and kind of regrets it when her smile falters just a little.

"I'm your new partner," she states, still speaking lowly as if unwilling to be overheard by their classmates. It's no use when it's this loud in the classroom. Natsu can barely hear her and he has exceptional hearing compared to most.

Even so, he's pretty sure he must have misheard her and finds himself asking, "what?" before he can stop himself.

"I'm your new woodshop partner," she says a little louder.

He blinks at her. He's definitely heard her wrong. Or the gods are punishing him for some past transgressions. What did he do in a previous life to deserve all of this humiliation? It's not bad enough that she makes fun of him behind his back, now she has to do it straight to his face—whilst wielding a nail gun and saw.

 _Fuck me_.

Her smile drops even further as he continues to stare dumbfoundedly at her. He doesn't know what to say and she's clearly at a loss for words herself. She doesn't know what to say to a dumbass who asked her to be his friend.

He wishes he never did.

Finding that humiliated anger inside of him gives him the push he needs to finally speak again. He starts with narrowed eyes, letting her know she's just as unwelcome as he feels. Then he folds his arms across his chest and gives her a once over, arching an eyebrow when he reaches her face again, which is now flushed with what he thinks is either embarrassment or anger.

"I don't know if you're up for the challenge," he says dismissively, then turns his back on her to finish lining up walls.

The small huff he hears behind him is adorable. "Excuse me, but girls can be just as adept at carpentry as you _boys_."

The way she says _boys_ is like a curse. He finds his lips twitching but tries to control the spasm.

"Why are you even here?" He can't help but ask, but she doesn't hear him because of the noise and he doesn't want to repeat himself so he just gestures for her to take the empty seat next to him. Of course, he'd have the only single table when a girl like Lucy decides to take woodshop.

_Fuck me._

"So, you're making birdhouses today?" She asks conversationally as she watches him mark the wood.

"Yeah. We're _supposed_ to work together, but…" His eyes drift over to the adjacent table where only a cloud of smoke and hatred can be seen.

Lucy follows his gaze then gives an uncomfortable sort of laugh. "Yeah, those two are kind of scary sometimes. I've never actually met them but I've seen them around. They really hate each other, don't they?"

"Actually, they're best friends." He states flatly.

Her astonishment is clear in the dilating of her eyes and the way her lips part just so. He has the sudden unforgivable urge to press his own against them and see how they feel. Instead, he snaps his head back to attention.

"You can cut this piece if you want," he offers, mostly as a way to get her the hell away from him.

"Really?" Her tone brightens with excitement. "What do I do?"

"You line it up with the saw," he demonstrates with hand motions, "then cut right on these lines here."

"These lines?" She affirms, fingers brushing the tops of his hands where they mimic a sawing motion.

He stiffens. "Yep."

"Can you show me? Since it's my first time and all? I don't want to mess up your beautiful birdhouse."

He looks over and _god help him_ , she's batting her eyelashes at him. He wants to tell her to go to hell, that he doesn't care if she fails because she's probably just using him to get an easy A, but…

"Yeah, whatever. Grab some glasses."

He stands, carrying the piece of wood with him and not bothering to check if she's following but knowing she is by the soft clicking of her heels. When they reach the saw, Natsu lines up one side, then looks to see if Lucy is paying attention. She's suddenly _right fucking beside him_ , arm brushing his, breast all but pressed against his side so she can get a closer look.

He just stares at her.

Her eyes are hooded with something evil and he hates her for it, so he turns away and starts sawing. When the first part is done, he steps back and offers a grand gesture toward the wood.

 _Now it's your turn,_ it seems to say.

She nods, steps forward, and tries to mimic his actions but she's clumsy and it's all wrong. He can't decide if this is natural or just another act on her part, like this sudden bout of friendliness.

Finally, he can't take it another moment and steps forward. "No, like _this_." He shows her how to line up the board. His hands gently rest on top of hers and help guide them in the right way. It's a clean-cut but they're still just standing there, unmoving. He can feel her slightly labored breathing as if she just went running, and it's not until her eyes turn to meet his that he realizes the position they're in.

Natsu's front is pressed against her back, hands still holding hers holding the wood. He swears to Mavis that she tries to hold his hand but then the bell rings out loudly, making them both jump apart. The wood goes flying to the floor but thankfully is still intact.

Natsu fumbles to pick it up at the same time Lucy does and they collide, heads bumping painfully.

Her laugh is contagious and in seconds they're both leaned over, hands clutching the sides of their heads, practically convulsing with laughter.

"Sorry!" She finally gets out when the laughing dies down. "Totally my fault."

"Yeah, you're right."

Her answering pout makes him relent with a wide-toothed grin.

She smiles back.

"Guess I'll see you Thursday?" He asks lamely as they're cleaning up their station.

She turns a megawatt smile his way that sends butterflies straight into his abdomen. "Yeah! This was fun. I've always wanted to take this class but my dad wouldn't let me. He's kind of over-protective." She rolls her eyes but it's all in good spirits. Natsu can tell she loves and respects her father from the endearment written all over her face.

"So, what changed?" He's stacking the excess wood into neat piles while Lucy brushes sawdust into a trashcan with a cloth.

"I convinced him I'm a big girl now." She winks.

He doesn't know what that means but nods like he does. "Lucky he said yes."

"I didn't know you were in this class, though." The way she says this makes him feel offended, like maybe she wouldn't have bothered asking her dad if she'd known the school hobo was taking this class. "I mean, it was a nice surprise to see you here," she quickly adds as if having read his mind.

He scowls and continues cleaning their station.

Lucy sighs. "I think we got off on the wrong foot." Her hand darts forward so fast Natsu drops the hammer and it clatters loudly to the floor.

They don't pick it up.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia," she says brightly, smiling that award-winning smile again, hand outstretched—an invitation. "It's nice to meet you."

He stares at her hand for a long moment before finally sliding his own into it and giving it a hard shake. "Natsu Dragneel," he replies slowly, unsure what's happening right now.

Her eyes widen slightly. "Wait, _Dragneel_?" She asks. "As in _Igneel Dragneel_ , owner of _Dragneel Enterprises?_ " She looks impressed. This is what he was hoping to avoid, people finding out he's Igneel's son, the smartphone developer and billionaire.

 _She's just like the rest of them_ , he thinks bitterly. _She wants to get close to me for my father's money._

Little does she know that his dad makes him work for every cent he gets. He's not rolling in dough like people think. It's his father's money, not his. Natsu works two hours every day after school, six hours on Saturdays and four on Sundays. He has to pay _rent_ , for Mavis' sake.

"That's the one," he says flatly. "Anyway, I gotta go. Gym." He gives a noncommittal shrug, grabs his bag from the floor, and is halfway to the door when Lucy calls out after him.

He doesn't stop to see what she wants.

She doesn't follow.

* * *

The next day, Lucy is waiting by the door to their first shared class of the day: Math. She smiles when she sees him and wiggles a cup of coffee in his direction as if to entice him. He stops walking and glances behind him to see whoever she must be looking for but everyone else walks with hands in pockets or eyes glued to phone screens. No one is looking for Lucy.

"Natsu!" She calls out, trying to wave him over whilst wielding two cups of coffee.

He works to hide a scowl. She's really laying it on thick, isn't she?

He brushes past her into the room but she follows after him and sits right on the edge of his desk, depositing one steaming cup of what smells like cinnamon in front of him. Her skirt is too short for this to be appropriate but he's not going to complain.

"Tada!" She gestures grandly toward the paper cup like it's a piece of art. "I hope you like it, it's a cinnamon latte. Most people don't like it because of the spice but I like a little heat!"

He tries not to read too much into that statement.

"What do you need, Lucy?" he asks in exasperation, not wanting to play this game yet again. Too many times he'd been the subject of some girl wanting to befriend him to get money.

Her smile falters. "I thought we could talk."

Natsu scoffs. " _Now_ you want to talk? Now that you know I'm not a hobo?"

Her face pales. "You heard that?" She speaks quietly but the shame is evident in her tone. He just stares at her. She sighs heavily. "I'm sorry, Natsu. That was really messed up. We shouldn't have said those things about you."

"You shouldn't judge people based on the way they dress," he corrects. "My buddy Gray, he's a total stripper. Girls think he's a player and a douchebag but he's actually one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He's had exactly one girlfriend and he's still with her.

"Me? I dress this way because otherwise girls like you flutter around me with your short skirts and batting eyes, begging me to be their best friend and then asking me for money like I owe them shit. Which I don't."

Lucy goes even paler. "I didn't mean—"

"Oh yes, you did." He cuts her off. He doesn't want to hear her excuses. "Just go away, Lucy. I don't need another friend."

He uses her own hurtful words against her and he can tell they hit home. Her eyes well up with unshed tears and she dashes from the room without another word.

Natsu doesn't see Lucy again until woodshop the following day. He wonders if she went home because of his comments and feels a little guilty for making a girl cry. He'd gone too far.

Surprisingly, she shows up for woodshop wearing jeans and a t-shirt and looking very un-Lucy like. He's pretty sure he's never seen her in anything but skirts and dresses.

She sits right next to him without a word and waits for instruction. When Gildarts tells them to finish their houses or do "whatever the hell they like" for the next hour, Natsu gets to work pulling out all the necessary materials to finish their birdhouse.

"I'm going to build _two_ birdhouses!" Mira suddenly bursts out as she runs toward the supply closet.

"Slacker, I'm going to build _three!_ " Erza retorts and runs after her.

"Are you sure those two are friends?" Lucy's voice is soft and repentant, her eyes pleading when he looks down at her.

"Yeah, they're solid," he tells her. "Look, Lucy, I'm sorry—" he tries to say but he's cut off by a finger against his lips. He stares down at it in shock as if wondering how it got there.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize, Natsu." Her tone is genuine. He waits for more. "I'm a jerk. I let my friends talk about you that way because I was afraid of what they may think. But in reality…" she moves her finger and his lips fall open slightly of their own accord. "I'm more afraid of _me_ than you."

He frowns, not getting it. "What does that mean?"

Lucy runs a hand through her hair and doesn't quite meet his gaze. "All my life I've been pretending to be someone I'm not. I'm not the popular girl you think you see. I'm nerdy and I like to build things and I love racing dirt bikes. I love anime and manga and collecting Pops." She laughs a little. "I hate wearing girly dresses, and heels make my feet want to vomit."

Natsu chuckles at that last part. "Ew, feet vomit. That's the worst."

"I know right!" she agrees, then sighs again. "Anyway, I understand what you mean about not judging someone based on their looks. And…I understand wanting to hide who you are because others will take advantage of that."

Natsu thinks he knows where this is going but stays quiet and lets her finish.

"My father owns the Heartfilia estate," she tells him in a hushed voice. "He's the co-founder of Heart-Strung Developers."

Natsu's body feels hot as a flame.

"I'm not after your money, Natsu," she continues. "I have plenty of my own. When you asked me to be your friend the other day, it just came so out of the blue. I thought you must be trying to get to my father. It wouldn't be the first time."

"I would never do something that dumb," he says with an eye roll. "I just thought you were nice."

 _And stunningly beautiful, among other things_.

She gives him a sad smile. "Sorry to disappoint then."

It's at that moment he notices that their hands are touching and Lucy's fingers have been drawing circles on the top of his this whole time. He's not sure she even notices but he doesn't bring attention to it just in case.

"You couldn't disappoint me," he finally gets out and sees a sparkle in her eyes. God, is she beautiful.

"Natsu?" she murmurs softly.

"Yeah, Luce?"

"Do you want to be friends?"

His answering smile is wide and toothy. "Yeah, I do."

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaand scene! What did we think? Poor Natsu, right? Did anyone see that ending, with Lucy and Natsu sharing the same dilemma? No wonder our hobo-dressing boy got rejected! So sad. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought of this one-shot and look forward to more very soon!  
> —Stele


End file.
